Achieving a delicious flaky pie crust is one of the most difficult tasks for any baker, whether a novice or a seasoned baker. Here is a recipe for gourmet pastry with a slight twist. The key is in the cream cheese and pure butter. The recipe asks for pea-sized butter pieces formed within the pastry dough. This creates the flaky texture of the pastry. Moreover, cream cheese adds additional texture to pastry, which makes for an incredibly rich and flaky pie crust. Bon appetite!
Ingredients
2 sticks cold, unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 package cold cream cheese
1½ tablespoon ice water
1 teaspoon brown sugar
Directions
Combine the dry ingredients by hand in a bowl or food processor. Mix dry ingredients with the butter and cream cheese until a course meal forms. Add cold water a little at a time. The pastry is ready when it sticks together between your fingers. If it does not, continue to add water (up to six tablespoons). The butter and cream cheese should not blend completely with the dry ingredients, but rather, it should resemble small pea-size pieces in the pastry. Do not overwork the pastry. Chill the pastry for at least an hour before rolling.
